Trail-blazing jazz artists from the US and Europe

alongside the crème of Australian jazz, for the fifth festival.

The Sydney Con Jazz Festival is back! On Sunday June 5, from noon till 9pm, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music will be hosting leading jazz artists from the US, Europe, and Australia, brought to you by SIMA and the Open Academy.

All five concert halls of the venue will be filled with over 100 artists performing in over 24 concerts. Audiences will be immersed in a myriad of sounds and jazz contemporary styles. This is your one-stop shop to sample the best of jazz from here and abroad.

Headlining the festival Gala is Trio Grande 2.0, featuring multi-Grammy award winner Eric Harland (USA). A boss of the New York scene, Harland is one of the most in-demand jazz drummers today. He will be joined by saxophonist Will Vinson (UK) and guitarist Gilad Hekselman (Israel), each with their own formidable reputation. ARIA Award winning pianist Barney McAll will open the gala with a solo performance that will dazzle and inspire.

Other prolific jazz musicians in the lineup are composer Florian Ross, saxophonist Julien Wilson, vocalist and composer Gian Slater, pianist Andrea Keller, folk duo Meatshell, and Visions of Nar, featuring Zela Margossian, Jeremy Rose, Hilary Geddes, and Adam Yilmaz. No matter what kinds of jazz you’re looking for, you’ll be sure to find it at the fifth Sydney Con Jazz Festival.

The Festival’s mission includes providing opportunities for emerging artists to work with established artists in the CONverge series. CONverge concerts for 2022 include Florian Ross leading CONverge with The Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra, directed by David Theak and Vanessa Perica, conducting interstate and local musicians from the ANJO Youth Big Band. Mingus Amongst Us will re-awaken Charles Mingus with an Australian twist. James Valentine (ABC Jazz and 702) will moderate a panel discussion of distinguished festival artists. The talk will give Insights into how leading musicians approach their art form, what inspires them and how the world of jazz continues to change today.